Break Free
by FallingGently
Summary: Nora Monroe is a die hard Exceeds Expectation's student and pianist. When her father dies protecting her at the Quidditch World Cup, the Weasleys take her in, and she discovers that not only is she not just human, but she's also possibly the last of her kind. Fred is now the only safety blanket she's got, but will it be enough, or will she crave Fred for more than safety?


" _When your life is hard, the world looks at you through sad eyes; but I say: why are you sad? If I am strong enough to be given this, then I am strong enough to get through this."_

 _Nora Monroe_

The stadium was packed to its limit, filled with the brim with wizards and witches of all types and nationalities. Such excitement flustered the crowd as the Quidditch champions whipped about, leaving trails of colored magic dust in their wake. The colors were absolutely stunning. There was but a single soul that wasn't intently concentrated on the match between the Irish and Bulgarians.

Nora Monroe stood in the bleachers, seemingly paying close attention to the sport in front of her, but in reality, she was replaying the song she'd created over and over again. It had to be just right so that she would be accepted into the Coel Acadamah, otherwise known as the Wizarding Music Academy of Ireland. Her fingers danced against the outer parts of her thighs as she tried her best to remember. It wasn't quite the same without the piano sheets in front of her.

The man to her left leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry, Nor. You'll do just fine. Relax and watch the game with your old man, hm?"

Nora returned his smile with a heartwarming one of her own and nodded.

"That's my girl," he patted her shoulder and graced her with a kiss on the cheek.

She'd always been close with her father, and they always found time to spend together, even with Nora's tight piano schedule. Her mother on the other hand, she was a handful, and certainly not in the good way. The two women couldn't be in the same room for twenty minutes before sparks would fly.

She watched the match in relative silence on her end, listening to the angry cries of those supporting the Irish and the cheerful shouts of those supporting the Bulgarians. When Viktor Krum caught the snitch, the match was over, and the Bulgarians won.

"Perhaps next time, lass," her father said to her and ushered her down the stairs once it was over. "Whaddaya say we go meet yer Jamie? He ought be around here somewhere, sulking because he lost the match, no doubt." He'd been part of the Irish Quidditch team, a Beater, as it was. It seemed fitting.

Nora knew her father's intentions were good, but she hadn't wanted to see "her" Jamie for the past month, when he tried to corner her into the submissive girlfriend she physically couldn't be. "About that, da," she started, but stopped her voice when she saw none other than Jamie himself striding towards her.

"Nora," Jamie called out and strode quickly toward her.

"Well now," her father said. "We's just talkin bout you Jamie. Come to say hello?"

Jamie's eyes pierced hers for a split second, and she resisted the urge to run. It had only been a month since their messy break up, and she wasn't ready to see him just quite yet. He still made her extremely uncomfortable. "Of course sir. To you," he added on quickly. "I'm afraid Nora here has gone and broken my heart."

Nora's posture stiffened. Just what exactly was he playing at?

"Well now," her father said with a twinkle in his eye as he turned to her. "Is that true Nora Monroe?"

She looked away, unable to bear the guilt that flooded her face for not telling her father sooner. "I was going to tell you da," she whispered. "Honest." She ignored the crowds that passed her by, but suddenly caught the eye of a certain redhead she was acquainted with. Well, acquainted was a rather strong term. She'd heard of him and his twin in passing, though she wasn't quite sure which one it was. She diverted her gaze back to Jamie and her father.

"Well, it was nice seeing you Jamie, lad. I wish you luck," her father told the boy. "Sorry bout your loss today though. Those Bulgarians sure need their ass handed to them one'a these days."

Jamie passed a fake smile to the man and muttered a simple "yeah" before heading along on his way. He settled his eyes heavily on Nora, but she refused to look at him as he walked past her.

Once Jamie was out of ear shot, her father leaned down to whisper in her ear again. "I don't blame ya a bit lass. Not to mention, ya still got admirers."

Nora looked to where her father was gesturing and noticed that one of the Weasley twins were still staring her way. Her face tinged pink. "Da!" she whined in embarrassment. "Let's get back to the tent, please."

The old man laughed and sent a wink to the redheaded boy before trailing along behind his daughter. He didn't mention neither Jamie nor the twin until they got safely back to their tent. "So," he said finally, leaning back on an armchair. "Tell me."

Nora sighed and began her short tale. "Basically, last year was Jamie's last at Hogwarts and he wanted me to play housewife after he graduated."

Her father waited for her to tell him more, but she stayed quiet. "And?" he pushed her.

"And nothing," she sighed. "I told him I couldn't play housewife any more than I could breathe under water. He wanted to control me da. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he controlled my free time and even tried to cut into my piano practice."

He looked at his daughter incredulously. "He interrupted your piano schedule and learned to tell the tale?" He laughed.

Though Nora didn't find the conversation particularly amusing, his comment still sent a smile to her face. "Yeah, I suppose he did. But he didn't like the consequences."

He only laughed harder. "I can only imagine. I've taught you well, dear lass, I must say." When he quieted, he looked over to her. She seemed stuck in her own little world, which was not entirely unusual. "What's troubling you, Nor?"

She pressed her lips into a fine line. What was really bothering her? "Da," she said quietly. "Do you think I'll ever find someone right for me?"

He nodded immediately. "Of course. Perhaps yer just lookin in the wrong places." When Nora didn't say anything, he continued. "That boy, the redheaded one," he started.

"Da-" Nora began, but he cut her off, holding a hand up to silence her.

"I've known his parents since I was at Hogwarts myself. Fine people if you ask me. I know ya probably aren't thinkin bout a relationship what with Jamie and all, but that would be a great place to start. I've never known more acceptin people."

Nora didn't know what to say exactly, so she let the silence fuel her thinking. She didn't exactly know Fred and George Weasley aside from hearsay, but she'd always noticed their rambunctiousness and warm hearts. One year when she'd been fighting with her ma, and her da had been off doing whatever it was he did for the Ministry, she'd stayed for the Christmas holidays. As it turns out, that year, the Weasley twins did as well. She'd fallen asleep reading in the common room, and the only other living souls in the common room were Fred and George Weasley, goofing off with their products in the corner. When she woke in the middle of the night, a blanket was draped over her. She didn't know who'd done it, but she was grateful, and she'd looked at them in a new light ever since.

A commotion outside of the tent startled her away from her thoughts, and her father spoke from the entrance. It startled her, because she hadn't notice him move. "Nora," he said seriously. "There's no time to explain, but we need to leave. Come," he held his hand for her. The seriousness in his tone told Nora not to question it. This had happened before, when she had to hightail it out of wherever she was, no questions asked.

He grabbed her hand roughly and Nora flinched, but said nothing. She knew he didn't mean anything by it. He was only worried for her safety. "Sorry lass," he murmured. He tugged her along and she kept a quick pace to keep up with him, dodging the other people who were running and screaming. Cloaked beings sent flashes of green each way she turned and immediately, she knew. Death Eaters.

She nearly jogged with her father through the heavy onslaught of people, narrowly missing each one she passed, for what seemed like an eternity until her father called out. "Arthur!"

A red haired man around her father's age turned towards them, worry etched as plainly on his features. "Robert! It's good to see you. Though I wish it were under better circumstances." They shook hands when they were close enough, and Nora stayed close to her father's side.

"This is Nora," her father urged her forward. "Please take good care of her. I wouldn't ask if it weren't important."

Nora's eyes flew open and she spun around to face her father. "You're not coming? You can't stay here! Not with all the Death Eaters running around! You'll get yourself killed, da!"

"Nora," he said once again with seriousness plaguing his tone. "I'm sorry, but I've to do what I must and protect my kin. Protect you. There is much I haven't taught you yet, and much about yourself ya don't know. If this my last wish, so be it. Stay with Molly and Arthur. I love ya lass."

He kissed her cheek quickly and turned, withdrawing his wand. "Come now," Arthur urged her. "We will protect you. George, go on and take Ginny. Fred, see to it that Nora is safe," he barked orders at his two sons and they jumped into action.

Fred put his hand on Nora's shoulder, but there was no way she would be leaving her father. "Da," she called out. A flash of green light soared to her father, but he was able to block it. Fred was no longer softly urging her, but outright wrapped his arm around her midsection and began dragging her. He didn't know much about her, but he knew that he had to make sure she was safe.

They were nearly to the forest line when another flash of green soared past her. "Come on, Nora. We have to get you safe," Fred whispered in her ear.

She looked into his soft brown eyes and saw only that he wanted to get her to safety. "But da," she whispered, but she'd stopped struggling against him. It was hard to see her father in the distance, but she could still see his silhouette.

"He's doing his job by protecting you and everyone else here. He knew this day would come," he said softly. "So did you."

He was right in all regards, but it didn't stop Nora from searching for her father. She didn't want to leave. She couldn't leave. "What a coward I would be," she said, "if I didn't protect what I love." It sounded like she was reciting from a book, but whether that was the case or not, Fred didn't know.

"Please, Nora. Your father is trying to protect you. I'm trying to protect you. If something does happen," he swallowed hard when he said this, watching the pain stretch across her face, "to him, and I can't protect you, then his efforts would be in vain. Don't let that happen, Nora. Let me save you."

Tears clouded her vision and she looked back for her father one last time, only to see a bolt of green hit him squarely in the chest. He dropped to the ground and didn't move again.

Nora's scream pierced the air so loudly that every face, wizard, witch, and death eater alike, all looked to the source. Clouds engulfed what was left of the clear sky and lightning began to strike. The first lightning strike electrocuted the death eater that killed her father, and the second lightning bolt killed another. She hung limp in Fred's arms, and he lifted her, situating her against his side. She entangled herself in his neck and cried as he ran.

"Fred," a relieved voice came, but Nora ignored it. "Oh, dear. What happened to this one? Never you mind for now. Let's get home."

Fred dropped to his knees, taking extra care to make sure he still had a good hold on Nora, and took the portkey in his hands.

Nora felt the familiar sickening lurch within her stomach before landing on the ground beside who she assumed to be Fred. He groaned and reached over to grab Nora again, and she allowed herself another moment of weakness and held onto him tightly. Her cries were reduced to sniffles as Fred walked. He stroked her hair every now and then, using his right hand, since his left was supporting her on his hip, her delicate legs wrapped around his waist.

"I'm so sorry, love," Fred whispered to her, low enough so only she could hear. There were a few missing from the group, so most were caught up in their own worries.

"Nora?" came a familiar voice. "Is that you?"

Fred's grip on her tightened, and he expected her to say something, but she kept quiet. "Yeah, mate. It's her. It's been rough."

Nora stopped listening and huddled closer to Fred – if such a thing were even possible. She cleared her mind and focused on the one thing that would bring her through it. She replayed her song, the one that would now be dedicated to her father, in her mind, and she tapped the notes on Fred's shoulder gently. Soon, she was fast asleep.

She awoke before most the next morning, so early the sun hadn't even been peeking yet, but Nora's internal alarm clock read five o'clock. She made note that she was, in fact, not in her own room, but was in a bed. The soft breathing indicated that she'd slept in someone else's room with them. Careful not to wake whomever it was, she slid out of bed gracefully and made her way downstairs. She was still dressed in her jeans, but noticed that someone had taken her hoodie off, so that she'd be more comfortable.

The house was abnormal to say the least, but it certainly felt like home. At the bottom of the stairs, she could hear a soft pecking at the window in the kitchen. It was quaint as well, and she noticed that there were still dishes in the sink. Outside the window was her mother's owl, with a letter attached. It was likely her mother was begging for her to return home to be with family, but now that her father was gone, there wasn't much reason to go home.

She untied and debated on reading the letter. She figured it wouldn't make much a difference, but she was curious about what her mother might say. In fact, there was more than just a letter. Inside the envelope was a letter from her mother, short and sweet, she noted, along with two photographs and one other letter, written in longhand. She took it all to the living room, where she sat in front of the warm fire.

Her mother's letter read: _Now that your father's dead, I'm sure there's no reason for you to come home. I'll have your things delivered to the Weasley's immediately. You're one of the Ancient Fae. Look it up. I don't want to explain. You may be your father's daughter, but you're not mine. Your piano can stay until you make arrangements. Have it gone soon or it'll be firewood._

She tossed it aside when she finished reading it. One photograph was of her and her father when she was a toddler, the same wide brown eyes, and dark messy hair. It was a day she couldn't remember, no matter how hard she tried. The second photograph was one of a woman, with long, dark hair and a stern expression. She wasn't entirely human, she could tell, but she noticed the tall, slender figure, high cheekbones, and straight jawline. This must have been her mother.

She didn't dwell on it for too long, for the sun was beginning to glow beyond the horizon. She could faintly hear rummaging from a nearby room, before a half awake Molly Weasley showed her face. "Good morning, dear," she said on instinct, without fully registering that it was Nora she was speaking to.

"Good morning," Nora said quietly, though she wasn't sure that it was, in fact, a good morning. Her heart contracted painfully at the thought of her father, who had died to protect her and countless other innocents. The letter in longhand could wait for another time, she decided and stood.

"Oh dear. Has the window been open all night?" Molly sighed. "Those boys." She shook her head and closed the window.

"I apologize Mrs. Weasley," said Nora, walking around the couch to the head of the kitchen table. "My mother's owl brought a letter, and I forgot to close it."

"Oh, Nora dear. That's quite alright," she said, turning to her with a smile on her face. "How are you?"

Nora wasn't really sure what to say. The genuine concern that showed on Molly's face was enough to send her spinning. She wasn't used to having what she considered a true motherly figure, but she wanted to try. "As good as I can be, I suppose," she answered the woman truthfully.

"Understood," she nodded. "Your mother must be worried."

Nora debated whether she should tell the woman the truth, and decided it would be for the best. She wasn't good at lying or keeping track of her lies. Passing up the long letter and the two photographs, she handed the older woman the letter from her mother.

She watched as Molly's face went from shock to anger in only a few seconds. "This woman!" she cried angrily and threw the letter down on the table. "You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like," she told Nora. "I never liked Renee, in any case."

Nora cracked a smile at the woman. "Neither did I, and thank you. Your hospitality is very much appreciated."

Footsteps padded down the stairs, and out emerged a fully dressed, wide awake Hermione. "Nora," she exclaimed at first sight of the girl. She rushed the rest of the way down and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry about what happened last night. Are you alright? Fred said you were completely devastated."

"Yeah, she also electrocuted a few death eaters too, from what I hear," came another rather sleepy sounding voice. Harry emerged from the staircase, running his hands through his messy hair.

"Good morning to you two, as well," said Molly teasingly. "I'll have breakfast on soon."

"Good morning, Molly," said Hermione, walking around to give the woman a small hug. "I'll put on the coffee."

"Thanks," said Harry to Molly. "How did you do that, by the way?" he asked Nora.

Nora was sure she didn't know what he was talking about, but remembered what she had seen and felt after watching her father die. "I don't know," she said honestly. "It must be in this letter." She placed the two photographs on the table in front of her and looked at the script. She would need time to read it, seeing as how it wasn't easy to read.

"An Ancient Fae?" Hermione gasped. Nora looked over to see that she had read Renee's ill willed letter. "Do you know what that means?"

Of course, Nora thought, if anyone would know, it would be Hermione.

"Alright, enough enough," Molly said, taking the letter from Hermione and handing it over to Nora. "Let's discuss this after breakfast, shall we?"

Nora took the letter and looked it over one last time before tossing it to feed the fire.


End file.
